The Dhofar Mountains
Country: Oman | Climate: Subtropical | Coordinates: 17.0°N, 54.1°E | Max. elevation: 1,761 m a.s.l.
Each summer, the khareef sweeps in from the Indian Ocean, shrouding Dhofar’s mountains in mist. It conjures a subtropical world within Arabia’s arid heart - a living paradox where cloud forests drink from the sky. Here, fog condenses on leaves and ferns, feeding the land with as much water as rainfall itself. It is a delicate equilibrium: a landscape stretched to its ecological limits, fragile under the pressures of climate change and overgrazing.
This is a realm shaped by three continents - African, Asian, and European - a crossroads of life where evolutionary stories converge. Nowhere else on Earth do caracals, hyenas, and leopards from Africa roam alongside wolves from the north. Between the Indian Ocean to the south and the Empty Quarter’s sands to the north lies a cradle of endemism - species that exist in no other place on Earth.
Blue lizards shimmer on sun-warmed rocks. Endemic toads call from hidden pools. Desert roses bloom from bare stone, and ancient groves of Commiphora and frankincense trees perfume the mist. It is a sanctuary of life - fragile, irreplaceable, and utterly unique.
